Mobile phone exposure and spatial memory
Wiholm C, Lowden A, Kuster N, Hillert L, Arnetz BB, Akerstedt T, Moffat SD · 2009
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation affected spatial memory differently in sensitive versus non-sensitive users, suggesting individual EMF sensitivity influences brain responses.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed volunteers to cell phone radiation for 2.5 hours while they performed spatial memory tasks (navigating a virtual maze). Surprisingly, people who already experienced symptoms from phone use actually performed better on the memory tasks during radiation exposure, while those without symptoms showed no change. This unexpected finding suggests that radiation may affect the brain differently depending on whether someone is already sensitive to electromagnetic fields.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something fascinating and concerning about how cell phone radiation affects our brains. The researchers used an exposure level of 1.4 W/kg, which is within current safety limits but represents prolonged exposure similar to a long phone conversation. What makes this research particularly significant is the differential response between symptomatic and non-symptomatic users. The science demonstrates that people who already experience symptoms from phone use showed improved spatial memory during radiation exposure, suggesting their brains may be responding differently to electromagnetic fields. This challenges the simplistic assumption that EMF effects are uniform across all people. The reality is that individual sensitivity appears to play a crucial role in how our brains respond to radiation exposure, which has important implications for how we assess EMF safety standards that currently assume one-size-fits-all protection.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.4 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 884 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 2.5 h
Exposure Context
This study used 1.4 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 3.5x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
This study investigated the effects of a 2 1/2 h RF exposure (884 MHz) on spatial memory and learning, using a double‐blind repeated measures design.
The exposure was designed to mimic that experienced during a real‐life mobile phone conversation. Th...
Results revealed a main effect of RF exposure and a significant RF exposure by group effect on dista...
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2009_mobile_phone_exposure_and_203,
author = {Wiholm C and Lowden A and Kuster N and Hillert L and Arnetz BB and Akerstedt T and Moffat SD},
title = {Mobile phone exposure and spatial memory},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1002/bem.20443},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20443},
}